Apparatus and method for providing multiple video data streams from a single source

摘要

A method is provided for generating a composite video data stream. A first data stream composed of a sequence of frames of video data each having an x-dimension of a preselected number of pixels and a y-dimension of a preselected number of pixels is received. A second data stream composed of a sequence of frames of video data each having a x-dimension of a preselected number of pixels and a y-dimension of a preselected number of pixels is also received. The x- and y-dimensions of the frames of the first data stream are downscaled to produce a sequence of first blocks of pixels. The x- and y-dimensions of the frames of the second data stream are downscaled to produce a sequence of second blocks of pixels. The first blocks are written into a first object buffer associated with a first memory space during first and third ones of four processing phases using a set of counters associated with the first object buffer. The second blocks of data are stored in a second object buffer associated with a second memory space during first, second, third and fourth ones of the four processing phases using a set of counters associated with the second object buffer. A pair of blocks each composed of one of the first and one of the second blocks are retrieved out of a third object buffer associated with both the first and second memory spaces during ones of the first, second, third and fourth processing phases using a set of counters associated with the third object buffer. Each pair of blocks are then output as a field of the composite video data stream.